All Forum Posts by: Gini Vidal

Hello Christopher, I have not had the chance to attend one of your meetings yet but I have been following your posts and would like to. I just recently had a baby and it has been hard to get away from him for long periods of time. It would be great to have your meetings posted for the community. Can I help you get the word out?

Ken, Great job on the 18 month lease! 

Its been great and exciting! We have learned so much and continue to learn from Biggerpockets, books and podcasts. I was surprised how quickly we were able to save to continue our journey, especially since we are house hacking our duplex. I guess when you are determined you can accomplish a great deal.

Hello Nick, 

I moved here with my family in 2013 and really like the area. My husband and I would like to meet with other investors as well. We joined LATC too and finding it to be very useful and educational.

Good luck Kenny. I hope you have a great agent that does follow through on the credit and background checks. Screening the tenants is the most important part of the process and if they are not screened well you could be in for many headaches. 

When I was looking for an apartment to rent before I bought my duplex I had an agent show me an apartment that I decided to rent. She did not do a credit check, background check or even confirm my income and references. I signed a lease with her the day I met her and picked the apartment. She was with  me the whole time and never left to confirm any of my information.

Just be careful and confirm your agent is doing the checks. 

When I rent to pet owners I require a $300 pet deposit on top of the normal security deposit and an additional $25/month rent per pet. I also have a pet policy agreement the tenants most sign. It does make the tenant come up with a lot of cash up front but if they can do it then I feel more comfortable renting to them. The extra $25 a month in rent gives me another $300 to go towards repairs if I need it when the tenant moves out. It also increases the amount of possible tenants looking at your rentals because it is hard to find places to rent with pets. I found really great tenants for my rental that have two cats. And hope they stay a while as I have heard pet owners tend to stay longer due to limited rentals that allow pets. Good luck. 

I understand. They do a number on the apartments. I am doing the same. But I hear you can make a lot of money with student rentals. I just want to get more landlord experience under my belt before I tackle some.

Hi Tim, Welcome to the area! My husband and I just purchased our first duplex in Groton and are currently house hacking. We are currently working towards purchasing additional properties in the Cortland/Groton/Dryden area. 

Ithaca is a beautiful city with a great culture. Prices are much higher there than Cortland but so are the rents. You will probably find you get better ROI in Cortland though. Talking with a couple of landlords in Cortland, if you are thinking of renting to college students, they suggest houses between Tompkins St and Groton Ave. But there are great opportunities for non-student rentals in Cortland as well.

@Jesse Wixson is a great source for information. Best of luck with your move and investing.

Gini

Thanks guys. It sure is.

Thanks Mark. I have checked out a few already. There is a lot of great information! I am soaking up as much as I can.